Review Detail

Florie is spending the summer after high school dreading her best friend, Kacey, moving to a big city for college. Because of her OCD, Florie's mom advised her to take a gap year, but lately, Florie has been thinking more and more about good vs. bad stress and what she might be capable of. When Florie and Kacey win tickets to see their favorite true crime podcast live, Florie lies to her overprotective parents and heads on one last road trip before Kacey leaves. The only problem, other than Florie's worry her mom will discover the truth, is Sam: Kacey's older brother who is driving them and who Florie has been crushing on for two years. During this trip, Florie will challenge herself and grow in ways she never expected.

3 Reasons to Read EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE:

1.) The OCD representation: From the first chapter, we know Florie has OCD. Her OCD symptoms caused major changes in her life, especially the last year, and she feels really anxious that she will be left behind when Kacey leaves for college. I love that the narrative is never about Florie 'fixing' her OCD. It's about her learning when and how to challenge herself, how to be kinder to herself, and how to both identify and communicate her needs. I also appreciated how her mother ties in. Her mother has put many restrictions on Florie in an attempt to keep her safe, but it becomes a detriment. Both have to face harsh truths by the end.

2.) The romance: Sam and Florie are completely adorable together. While Florie has been crushing on Sam for years, she didn't think he felt the same, even after they shared a kiss the prior winter break. Their slow burn romance was so cute and just the right amount of awkward.

3.) The friendship between Kacey and Florie: While the romance is a huge part of the story, I would argue that, besides Florie's relationship with herself, the biggest relationship is between Kacey and Florie. From the beginning, Florie is worried how Kacey leaving will affect their friendship. Florie hasn't had many friends, especially close, best friends like Kacey, and she worries that Kacey will go to college, meet better friends, and forget about Florie. When things do heat up between Sam and Florie, she then has the added concern that Kacey won't want to be friends with her at all once she realizes she's into Sam and has kept it a secret from her for years. I love how they learn to talk it out and make their bond even stronger.

EXACTLY WHERE I NEED TO BE is the perfect summer road trip read complete with authentic OCD representation, a cute romance, and a powerful friendship.